System for conditioning air in storage chambers



Dec. 4, 192s. 1,693,856

` c. A. MOORE SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING AIR IN STORAGE CHAMBERS Filed May l, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @Hor e145 SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING AIR VIN .STORAGE CHAMBERS Filed May l, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Chorle ,Moore :M13 y n Chrornus Patented Dec. 4, 1928..

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. MOORE, OF EDINA, MINNESOTA..

SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING .AIR IN STORAGE CHAMBERS.

Application led May 1,

My invention relates to improvements in systems for conditioning air in storage chambers.

An object of the invention is to provide simple and effective means for electively refrigerating or heating storage chambers in produce buildings, ships and: similar structures and, under either operation, to ventilate such chambers. A

Another object of the'invention is to provide means, as above, designed to be arranged in a ehambered structure to occupy lninimum storage space in the chambers and offering the minimum of interference to theV handling of lading in said chambers. l

lV-ith the foregoing andl other objects in view,which will appear in the following'description, the inventifn resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of lconstruction hereinafter described and claimed. v

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a building with my improved system app-lied thereto, said. view being taken as on the line 1--1 of Figy2; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, said view being taken as on the line 2 2 of said Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a detail plan view o-f the housing surmounting the structure, the roof of saidhousing being removed to disclose the various parts therein.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be observed that the building illustrated includes the usual sidewalls 10 and 11, endwalls 12 and 13,' {ioors 14 and roof 15 providing chambers A within said building. Crossing the floor 14 of each chamber A are sleepers 16 upon which door slats 17 are fastened, said iioor slats forming a false perforate oor providing an air passage B therebeneath. Against the sidewall 10 are upright timbers 18 to which wall slats 19 are secured. These wall slats form a false perforate sidewall between which and the adjacent sidewall 10 of the building is an air passageway C, said passageway being in communication with the floor passageway B. Adj acent to the opposite sidewall 11 of the building, in each chamber A, is a solid false sidewall 20 resting at its lower edge on the upper edges of the sleepers 16. Midway between ioor and ceiling is a horizontal partition strip 21 dividing t-he space between the solid false wall 20 and the sidewall 11 of the building into upper and lower conduits D and E, the

1926. Serial No. 106,144.

lower conduit E being open at the bottom thereof to the air passageway B beneath the floor slats 17. The upper edge ofthe solid false wall 20 stops short of the ceiling leaving a .port F through which communication is ait'- i'orded between the upper portion of the chamber A and the upper portion of the conduit I). Fitted to the port F in each of the chambers is a frictionally hinged gate 22. which may be adjusted to regulate the openings. afforded by said ports F. An upright space is lefty between the endwall 12 of the building and the adjacent ends of the solid false sidewalls 20 in the various chambers A, said space extending through the floors 14.

In this space is placed an air main 23. the

same reaching from the lower conduit E in the lowermost chamber A through the root' 15 and thence along the roof into the lower portion of a housing 24 located upon the roof. Said main 23 opens into each lower conduit E in each chamber A, as shown at 25. An upright space is also left between the endwall 13 of the building and the adjacent ends of the solid false walls 20 in the chambers A, said space also extending through the floors 14. In this latternoted space is placed an air main 26 which reaches from the upper conduit D in the lowermost chamber A through the roof 15, thence into the upper portion of the housing 24 at the end thereof opposite the end through which said first main 23 enters said housing. The upper conduits lDy communicate with the main 26 through openings 26a in said main. Traversing this housing 24 between said ends thereof is an upright partition 27 dividing the housing intoa compartment G and a room H, said compartment and room being brought into communication one with the other bv means of an elevated horizontal pi pe 28 passing through said partition 2T. In front of the open end of this pipe 28 in the room H is afan 29, the same being driven in reverse directions by means of an electric motor 30 mountcd vupon the outside 0f the housing 24 and' connected with the fanq 29 through a drive shaft 31, reaching through one end of said housing. Also within the room H is an upright pipe 32, which stops short of the ceiling ofthe room at its upper end and short of the floor of the room at its lower end. A horizontal'pi-pe 33 branching off from said upright pipe 32 vmedially thereof extends through the side of the housing 24 bringing said latter pipe 32 into communication with 'a damper 34, a similar damper 35 being proy dampers 38 and 39'.

vided in said pipe near he bottom thereof.

Within the compartment Gr of the housing and duplicating the above mentioned'upright pipe 32, branch pipe 33 and dampers 34 and are an upright pipe 36, branch pipe 37 and y Also within the com,- partment G are a number of staggered tiers of coils for conveying any suitable temperature affecting medium through said compartment.

'In use, lading is freely trucked over the slatted false ioorsof-the chambers A without interference with or from the parts of the system associated with 'said chambers. lading to be stored in` the chambers A are stacked in tiers spaced apart from each other and from the wall'slats 19 and also spaced at the tops of the stacks from the ceilings of the chambers.

In the use of the system under refrigera-l tion, a refrigerating medium is circulated l through .the coils 40 1n the compartment G of direction to force air into rthe horizontal pipe the housing 24 and the fan 29 propelled in a 28 from-the fan room H. Thus acting said an draws air through the main 26, upper conduits Dand ports F from across. the ceilings of they chambers A and forces said air throutghthe coil compartment G where it iscoole by contact with the cold coils 40, thence down the main 23 and thence through the loweconduits E into the, air passageways B Abeneath the `floor 'slats 17,. From these passageways B a part of the` cold air lters upwardly through said floor slats and stacked lading under the force of the fan 29 and the natural tendency to rise about the relatively warm lading, which ascending air y continues upward to the ceilings of the chamber A to replace the warmest air being drawn therefrom y the fan 29, as above explained.

The remainder of the cold'air reaching theV wall lpassa eways C through the floor passageways ascends through said former passageways by force of the fan 29 augmented the nautral tendency of saidv air to rise b albng the relatively warm sidewall-10. This ascending air filters between the wall slats 19 into vthe chambers A, finally, in part, reaching'the upper corners of the 4chambers opposite the ports F from whence it is drawn into said ports by the fan 29. Thus it will be understood that a, convective and diffused circulation of refrigerated air is set up within the 'chambers A. 5

Under heating, a heating medium'is conveyed through the coils 40 and the fan 29 rejversed to draw air throu h the horizontal pipe 28, the movement o vair through the mains 23 and 26, conduits D and E, and passageways B and C being the reverse of the movementA of air under refrigeration, as above explained, a convective and diffused Such l `mented in part of thecircuit by the action ofA gravity. l j

Under refrigeration or under heating, fresh air may be admitted to the circulating air to replace air that is verniitted to be expelled from the system. his is accomplished by opening one or the other or both of theV dampers in both of the upright pipes 32 and 36, air being expelled from the system out of the pipe on the pressure side of the fan 29 and fresh air drawn into the system through the other of the two pipes on the suction side of said fan. Election is made between the upper and lower dampers in the pipes 32 and 36 accordinflr to the exist-ing atmospheric conditions, wxliereby the percentage of humidity in the air-within the system may be increased or diminished. F or example, under p refrigeratiomland to increase the percentage of humidity in the air within the system, I close the upper damper 34 in pipe 32 and open the lower damper 35 therein. I also close -the upper damper 38 in pipe 36 and open the lill) tion, as herein disclosed, ma bemade within the scopepf what is claime without departing from the spirit of my invention.` v

Havingv described my invention, what I4 ters Patent is:

claim as new and desire to protect by Let- X 1. 4The combination with a structure providing a storage chamber, of a false perforatc floor 1n said chamber providing an air `passageway between the same and the main. floor of the chamber, a false perforate sidewall at one side of the chamber providing an air passageway between the same and the ad-l jacent main sidewall, said passageways communicating one with the other, a solid false sidewall at the other side of the chamber providing a space between the same and the adjacent sidewall of said chamber, said solid false sidewall terminating short of the ceiling of the chamber to provide a port between 'said space and said, ceiling, a horizontalpartition in said space dividing the same into upper and lower conduits, the former .communicating along its'upper portion, thx-ou h said gut, with the. upper portion of vt e cham its lower portion withlthe air passageway at fthe floor of the'chamber, an adjustable gatef Ifor said port, la

housing surmounting the r and the latter communicating ,along y a second main providing communication be-v tween the upper/conduit and the tan room, means for bringing the interior of the .fan room into communication with the 4outer air, and means for bringing the interior of the coil compartmentinto communication with the outer air.

2. The combination with a structure pr0- .viding a storage chamber, of a 'false perforate floor in said chamber providing an air passageway between the same and the main ioor of the chamber, a false pert'orate sidewall at one side of the chamber providing an air passageway between the same and the adjacent main sidewall, said passageways communicating one with the other, upperv and lower conduits extending along the other sidewall, the former having connnunication at the 11p-per portion thereof with the vupper portion of the chamber and the latter having' communication at its lower portion with the air passageway beneath the false floor, one conduit providing for the ingressl oi. 'air to the chamber and the other conduit providing for the egress of air from said chamber, a fan for setting up a flow of air through said conduits and circulatingvthe same in said chamber, and means for affecting the temperature .of the air in its passage to the chamber.

43. The combination with a structure providing a storage chamber, of a false perforate floor in said chamber providing an air pas sageway between the same and the main floor of the chamber, upper and lower conduits extending alolig a sidewall of the chamber, thc former having comnnmication'at the upper portion thereof with the upper portion ol the chamber and the latter Yhaving communica? tion at its lower portion with the air passageway beneath the false floor, one conduit' providing for the ingress ot air to the chamber and the other conduit providing for the egress of air from said chamber, aiit'an 4t'or setting up a flow ot' air through said conduits and circulating the same in said chamber, und means for affecting the temperature of the air in its passage to the chamber. l

4. The combination with a storage chamber ofnpper and lower conduits extending along a sidewall thereof, the former having communication at the upper portion thereoll with the upper portion of the chamber and the latter having communication at its lower portion with the lower portion of the chamber, one conduit providing for the ingress ot y an' to the chamber and the other' conduit providing for the egress of air from said chamber, a fan 'or setting up a flow of air through said conduits and circulating the same in said chamber, means for affecting the temperature ot the air in its flow to the chamber', and means for freshening the'air in such passage adapted to admit outer air tothe flow on the su'ction side of the fan and permit of the escape of air from such flow on the pressure side of the fan.

.In testimony whereof, I have .signed my name to this specification. f

CHARLES A. MOORE. 

